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Rocco

Fly Tying Video Fails

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Recenty we listed our favorites so I thought it might be fun and maybe even positively constructive to list things about fly tying videos that don't work. No names, just petty aspects of presentations that detract from their effectiveness.

 

My turnoffs are:

 

-- Extensive preening of the fly materials. A brief demonstration of the deed with a clear demonstration of the final effect are all I need/want. (Otherwise, it's like watching a kid play with his food.)

 

-- Waste! It jars me to see reusables -- like flash materials, dubbing, hackle, etc. -- thrown away when they can readily be used for follow- ons of the same pattern. Who ties 'one-ofs'?

 

-- Lack of a materials list.

 

-- Neat flytying desk!

 

Rocco

 

 

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here's a few

 

 

lack of personal hygiene under fingernails or lack of them from being chewed on - gross

 

nicotine stained fingers - yuk

 

coffee cups

 

watching the tyers mouth move due to wrong camera angle

 

jewelry hanging around the neck

 

flashy t-shirts that disrupt the fly tying. a light gray t-shirt from walmart is about $3.50

 

wasting time spewing babbling bullshit about the pattern that takes 5 minutes of a 10 minute video

 

videos that are too long. a 15 minute video to tie a zebra midge is way too long

 

videos labeled "best fly this, best fly that"

 

out of focus videos or not enough lighting resulting in a dark video

 

obnoxious music playing in the background while the tyer is explaining how to tie the fly

 

waste of materials is not an issue since you never see the tyer actually throwing it away in a trash can

 

poorly edited videos especially when fading in and out. poor audio

 

informercial somewhere in the video

 

tying a fly without actually teaching how to tie the fly. never explaining a tying technique. this is helpful to beginners as well as experienced tyers

 

wasting time looking for tying materials that may or may not be somewhere in the tying room. have your material handy, hackles already trimmed and ready to tie in etc

 

constently preening the materials

 

actually knowing what youre doing

 

put a materials list on your youtube video page. thats a lot easier to copy and paste rather than trying to write the materials list while repetedly pausing the video. if davie can take the time so can you

 

recipe_zps9rur6jos.jpg

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Thanks guys,

 

I find some of your feeling the same as mine...including:

 

Videos shot from "across the table"

 

Ratty looking beards and other gross stuff as Flitire said

 

And MOST of all - any and all of Bob Wyatt's DVDs on fly tying - not only are these poorly shot, the tying sequences hardly show the flies being tied - rather the screen is almost completely full of Bob - babbeling his bullshit philosophy of why his ratty looking flies "work". And oh by the way this crap isn't in the section of the DVD which is titled "Bob's Philosophy". I just can't take arrogant jerks in this game anymore - especially when I have to pay for it.

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I'm always amazed at why people who can't count think they can make good instructional tying videos. one great example... "form a head with 2 or 3 turns of thread." First, it wasn't needed. He should just have whip finished. Then he puts on 13, I kid you not, 13 turns of thread. Then folk on here praise this "great video". I just don't get it. If the words and actions differ so much, how can anyone learn from it?

 

The other thing I have to ask is where is the commandment written saying, "thou shalt never remove even one single turn of thread from a fly". It must be somewhere. Again on a video seen here. Wings accidently pulled out while setting them. Then the now loose wraps were left on, and the wing set on top of them. People must think this is right as, again, the video is acclaimed.

 

There really is a culture that stops constructive criticism. With someone starting out I can understand it, but if someone puts a video they must feel their tying is good enough for others to learn from. Often it just isn't. Maybe those that do should be criticised a lot more than they are. This is why I have so many problems with people recommending "look on You Tube". How is someone, who doesn't know how to tie, to know good from bad practice?

 

There are some good videos out there. They are, from what I have seen, in the minority.

 

This, and my belief in teaching technique not patterns, is why I have refrained from making large numbers of videos. The few I have done have been generic flies the techniques explained can be used in any number of patterns. I have recently had the offer of being filmed by Davie McPhail. When I suggested he did a video on the tying of my BiColoured Nymph, he wanted me to tie it while he filmed it. Good idea but as we live at diagonally opposite corners of Scotland. It would be about 6 hours drive each way. With petrol (gas) at about $9 a gallon here, it would be expensive as well as time consuming. It may yet happen though.

 

Cheers,

C.

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before making a tying video, wait at longer for your finger ailments to heal (both hands appeared like this)

 

ugly_zpsktogjycf.jpg

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Last time I criticized a video, I was "the bad guy" for weeks.

So, I'll just agree with all the comments above.

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It's a YouTube generation. Every kid wants to post YouTube videos. Every kid learns how to use his iPhone and then becomes a self described expert at something and starts posting YouTube videos. Popularity via hits is what they are after not accuracy or expertise in flytying. You know the type, their the ones exclaiming they have 5000 Facebook friends. I think YouTube is an excellent resource for fly tying since it has taken all the mystery out of the game. The poser's are easy to spot even for a beginner.

 

I hate with vigor the guy filming his 10 year old tying a fly. Kids need to learn math not youtubing or fly tying.

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It's a YouTube generation. Every kid wants to post YouTube videos. Every kid learns how to use his iPhone and then becomes a self described expert at something and starts posting YouTube videos. Popularity via hits is what they are after not accuracy or expertise in flytying. You know the type, their the ones exclaiming they have 5000 Facebook friends. I think YouTube is an excellent resource for fly tying since it has taken all the mystery out of the game. The poser's are easy to spot even for a beginner.

 

I hate with vigor the guy filming his 10 year old tying a fly. Kids need to learn math not youtubing or fly tying.

Wait, so did you just say kids shouldn't learn to tie flies? What about fish? Just make them do math problems all day and never leave their room until they are 18, fat, and weird because they were kept in a dungeon their whole life taught only how to do math? Lol.

 

Sorry did that escalate quickly? My bad...

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No worries McFly. No that's not what I said. It's only kind of what I said twisted around a bit. I would hate to raise children who are expert flier tiers and youtubers but can't pay their bills. Kids tying flies and fishing is way different then kids making YouTube videos on fly tying and fishing. Children fly tying videos SUCK! My last sentence on my 1st post was probably not worded the best so I'll clear that up. Kids tying flies and fishing don't suck. Kids learning, liking and appreciating math is a better goal, at least it was for me and my kids, then fly tying.

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I'm with Mike...criticism (no matter how well intentioned) here will oftentimes earn you more enemies than friends. I also agree with all that has been said so far.

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I'm sorry enough of a tier that I can learn from most videos. But I recognize piss-poor videos, although I can learn from them. Davie McPhail and Bob Jacklin are great. Davie makes it look too easy! Plus, I have a problem understanding understanding his accent. But his tying make up for it.

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People with crappy looking fingernails can not tie flies? WOW!

 

Or just have no useful information to share on a video ?

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People with crappy looking fingernails can not tie flies? WOW!

 

Or just have no useful information to share on a video ?

It's truly not about content. It's about what is watchable.

Almost everyone has something that makes them feel like saying, "Geeze, I don't need to see that!" Now, imagine "yours" in the foreground of a tying video.

To some, that's nasty hygiene (dirty fingernails), scabs, beards, moving mouths, bad music, improper tying techniques, mumbled words, incomplete lists or bad lighting.

Might not make them vomit, but they end up feeling like they just wasted that part of their lives.

 

To answer your questions: yes ... people with crappy nails can tie flies and yes, they might have good information. But NO, they don't need to make a video. I am sure the world will get along just fine if they don't.

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